TOKYO – Japanese voters commenced casting ballots on Sunday in a pivotal general election that will determine the political trajectory of the nation for the coming years. The electoral process, which opened nationwide this morning, features an intense competition with more than 1,200 candidates vying for all 465 seats in the House of Representatives, the dominant lower house of Japan’s parliament.
The central question dominating this electoral contest is whether the incumbent coalition government, comprising Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party and their junior partner, the Japan Innovation Party, can maintain their legislative majority. This outcome would enable the continuation of the current administration’s policies and governance approach. Alternatively, opposition forces are positioned to potentially expand their parliamentary presence and disrupt the ruling bloc’s agenda.
Electoral operations will continue until 8:00 PM local time, with polling stations across the archipelago remaining accessible to voters throughout the day. The ballot counting process is anticipated to extend well into the night, with preliminary results expected to emerge in the early hours of Monday.
The electoral structure divides the 465 parliamentary seats into two distinct categories: 289 representatives will be elected through single-member district contests, while the remaining 176 seats will be allocated via proportional representation across eleven regional electoral blocs. This dual-system approach aims to balance local representation with broader proportional fairness in the composition of the legislative body.